New Year's Eve in Costa Rica

In Costa Rica, New Year’s Eve is traditionally a very family-oriented holiday, and families and close friends gather together to celebrate. Costa Ricans definitely know how to party and there is never a shortage of libations and delectable food.

Costa Rica, like much of Latin America, has lots of New Years traditions such as:

1. Choose Your Underwear wisely:
   It is believed that if you wear yellow underwear, you will attract good fortune in the upcoming year. Green underwear is worn to attract money. And if you want to attract your soulmate in this next year, make sure that you wear red underwear. You can also hang these same colors in ribbon form on your front door, to attract the same things.
2. Walking around your neighborhood with a suitcase:
   Many costaricans believe that if they carry a suitcase around the block at the stroke of midnight, they will travel and have adventures during the next year.
3. Toss Water over the shoulder:
   It symbolize the act of putting the old year and all its bad memories behind, to face a new year full of promise.
4. The 12 Grapes of Good Luck:
   It’s a Costa Rican New Year’s Traditions to eat 12 grapes on New Year’s Eve. You eat one grape for each new month and make 12 wishes.
5. Midnight countdown and fireworks.